OIP’s Mountjoy, Cloverhill reports raise concerns
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has expressed “grave concern” at the findings of two follow-up reports from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons’ (OIP) published yesterday (4 February).
The reports, which covered Mountjoy and Cloverhill prisons, assessed the implementation of recommendations from previous general inspections.
In the Mountjoy report, chief inspector Mark Kelly says that, on the first day of the OIP’s April/May 2025 follow-up inspection, the prison was operating at 122% capacity, and there were 90 men sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
‘Inhuman and degrading’
“The documented living conditions of some prisoners sharing cells in Mountjoy Prison in 2025 were deplorable and can be considered to amount to inhuman and degrading treatment,” he states.
The report finds that the majority of the recommendations made by the inspectorate in late 2022 remain ‘open’, or yet to be implemented.
The Cloverhill report also finds that conditions have worsened since the initial inspection in 2023; by October 2024, the prison was 121% overcrowded, with 72 mattresses on the floor.
Kelly also finds that the majority of recommendations made in the initial report had not been implemented by the time of the follow-up visit in December 2024.
“The only significant difference was that a higher proportion of people in the prison were being held in degrading conditions,” he adds.
‘Lack of urgency’
IPRT has called on the Minister for Justice, Migration and Home Affairs to take emergency action after the reports’ publication.
Niamh McCormack (IPRT legal and public-affairs manager) said that the organisation was “deeply disappointed” by what she described as “the lack of urgency” in addressing the issues raised in the initial inspection reports.
“Out of 19 recommendations that were made following the Cloverhill inspection, only three have been implemented; out of 32 recommendations in Mountjoy, two are considered closed,” she said.
“The inspections expose seriously unsafe and unsanitary conditions that are inhuman and degrading for people in prison,” McCormack added.
Inter-prisoner violence
IPRT pointed out that the reports explicitly link overcrowding and degrading conditions at Cloverhill to rising levels of inter-prisoner violence.
While it acknowledged some positive developments highlighted in the reports – including refurbishment of accommodation in the Mountjoy Medical Unit and improvements in education – IPRT called for:
- “Immediate” reduction of prison populations, through enforceable population ceilings and alternatives to custody,
- Timely repairs and investment in basic facilities – including showers, ventilation, and bedding,
- Healthcare provision in prisons must be treated as a clear priority, and
- Full implementation of all outstanding OIP recommendations.
“It is evident that inspection reports and recommendations alone are not enough if they are left to gather dust,” McCormack stated, adding that immediate Government action was needed.
“We also reiterate our call on the Government to pass the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) as a matter of urgency,” she concluded.